Friend or Foe?
by Raven06
Summary: A Decepticon youngling finds himself surrounded by the enemy, or are they the family he never had? Will he get over his fear? And what will Megatron do when he finds out about him?
1. Last Youngling

**Friend or Foe? I**

The Decepticon youngling Echo ran aimlessly through the wreckage of the mutilated buildings of Cybertron that had once stood tall. Finding an opening in the twisted metal he dove for cover, desperate to not be found. Curling into as small as ball as possible, he buried his face in his knees and prayed that Primus would keep him safe.

His prayers were crushed by the sound of two large mechs landing no more then fifteen feet from his hiding place. The small mech's deep red optics widened in fear as he moved deeper into the small hiding place.

"I honestly don't understand _why _we need to keep the fragger around," an annoyed voice said as its owner kicked a piece of debris out if their way.

"'Warp!" A lighter sounding voice snapped. "He's probably the last youngling left on all of Cybertron. Do you mean to tell me that you don't care for him in the _slightest_?" Thundercracker asked looking at his Seeker brother. The darker seeker snorted as he scanned the area for Echo's signature.

"The little glitch could drop dead as far as I care," he replied coldly. "Well my scanners aren't picking up anything."

"I should have known better then to send two _Seekers _to do a _real _warriors job," a deep and cold voice said from above, closely followed by an even larger mech's landing. It was Nemesis Prime. Both Skywarp and Thundercracker tensed when in the presence of the mech that was easily twice their size.

There was a pause between the three of them as the evil Prime scanned the area with his powerful sensors. A deep, malicious laughter filled the still air of the old battlefield.

"You can't hide from me youngling," Nemesis Prime said in a baritone voice as the metal sheet that had been covering the small mech was ripped off with ease.

The huge mech loomed over Echo and picked him up roughly by the scruff bar between his shoulder blades. Said youngling let out a small squeak as he curled his small frame back into a defensive ball and glared at the evil mech holding him in a rather uncomfortable fashion.

Echo glanced in the direction of the two other Seekers, wishing that it was one of them holding him instead of Nemesis. Sure he wasn't particularly fond of Skywarp, but he really enjoyed being around Thundercracker. The smaller Seeker never failed to make him smile and he actually treated decently, although he did get a bit rough at times.

Nemesis laughed darkly as the youngling squirmed in his hold, letting out a pained click or squeak every once in awhile. The black and dark grey mech narrowed his blood red optics at the youngling in his grasp.

"Oh shut up you whiney sparkling," he growled. Echo glared at the powerful mech angrily and a small blade snapped from his right wrist.

"Echo, don't!" Thundercracker yelled panicking. Before Nemesis could react, the youngling lashed out and the small blade left a clean cut that ran across his nose and ended right below his left optic. The energon in both Skywarp and Thundercracker's lines froze.

"YOU LITTLE BRAT!" The black mech roared as he threw Echo away from him and into the wreckage of a collapsed building. Thundercracker moved to run to the youngling's aid but his brother stopped him, knowing very well that it would be the end of him if he intervened.

After a rather painful landing, Echo winced and looked down at his abdomen only to see a metal rod protruding from it. Coughing, he felt energon dripping down his chin as several warnings flashed across his field of vision. He tried to get to his feet but Nemesis appeared out of nowhere and kicked him in the face, sending him flying a good fifty feet and cracking his right optic badly.

Landing with another crash, the youngling coughed more energon from his wheezing intakes. Forcing himself to sit up, he leaned against a large sheet of metal and prayed to Primus, convinced that he was going to die any second.

Deep within the bowels of Cybertron, a pair of golden optics onlined for the first time in eons. Blinking them several times, Primus then stretched out his powerful senses to see who, or what, had woken him from his deep stasis.

What he found was a youngling, a Decepticon youngling but a youngling nonetheless, dying by the hands of a member of his own faction. _Unacceptable, _Primus thought as he reached out to the fading youngling with his powers.

Echo panicked when he felt the powerful presence in his processor. _Be calm little one, _a calming voice soothed. _I heard your cries and I am going to send you to a place where I know that you will be unharmed and cared for. _Echo's single working optic widened when he realized just _who _was talking to him. Primus felt the youngling's surprise and couldn't help but smile slightly.

Just as he was about to speak again, he felt a pain shoot through Echo's chest. The small mech couldn't hang on much longer. Primus curled a small amount of his power around the youngling's frame and eased him into a deep recharge. Not even half a second later, there was a flash of gold light and Echo was gone.

A/N: Edited and reposted because of problems. This story is HEAVILY inspired by Shy-Light from DeviantArt check out her stuff!! http://shy-light. 


	2. Crashed

**Friend or Foe? II**

Ironhide and Jazz were on patrol just outside the Ark when both of their scanners picked up on something entering the atmosphere at a rapid speed.

"Prowl, you got a fix on the incoming object?" The black weapons specialist Ironhide asked through his com-link.

"Yes, the signature is Cybertronian but I'm getting no response. I'm also-" Prowl was cut short by Jazz. The silver Pontiac Solstice's optics widened when he realized just what was coming towards them.

"FRAGGING PRIMUS IT'S A YOUNGLING!!" Jazz yelled as he sprinted in the direction of the falling youngling. Jazz shifted into his secondary form in a desperate attempt to catch the small mech before he crashed. His efforts were in vain though.

Echo crashed into the ground with such force that it shook the trees nearby. Shortly after his abrupt landing, the induced stasis started to wear off. On lining his one working optic, the youngling found himself in a large crater. His processor was still fuzzy and every part of him felt so heavy. Letting out a soft click or two he fell back into darkness.

Jazz was the first one to reach the crash site and he jumped into the crater without a moment's hesitation. The saboteur picked up the small bundle of wires with the utmost care felt his energon run cold.

"'Hide! We gotta get this little guy to Ratchet right away!" The silver mech said as he crawled out of the hole with the assistance of the black mech.

"Ratchet, get the bay ready," Ironhide said as he ran alongside Jazz back to the base.

Touch was the first sense that Echo regained as he woke for a second time from Primus's induced stasis. He then realized that he was being carried, in a rather rushed manner, somewhere. Forcing his one working optic online, he found himself in a pair of yellowish colored arms. Then there was the pain.

It started out as a dull throb, but in seconds rose to an unbearable stabbing sensation. Echo let out a pain filled squeak as the mech carrying him shifted the way he was holding him.

"Hang in there little one," the stranger holding him said over the sound of doors hissing open. Another voice was heard but Echo couldn't find the strength to see who it was.

"B-But Ratchet it's a Decepticon," the new voice said hesitantly to whoever was holding him.

"I can see that Red Alert," the white mech snapped back irritably as he laid the youngling down on one of the tables. The small mech watched the one known as Ratchet pull out several tools and then reach out to him. Echo let out a small whimper of fear and pain as he shied away from his touch.

"I'm not going to hurt you," the medic said in a soft tone as he reached out to him again, this time with success. Trying to close the wound in Echo's abdomen, Ratchet hit a sensitive spot and Echo squeaked loudly as he tried to move away. However, doing this only made him break into a coughing fit.

Ratchet quickly scanned the youngling and found that he had lost a substantial amount of energon and was on his last reserves. The medic yelled at Red Alert to ready an energon feed and listed off several tools he needed.

Everything was starting to blur around the edges and Echo's processor felt fuzzy again. He let out several soft and confused clicks as the medic filled a syringe with some sort of clear liquid.

"Don't worry, no one's going to hurt you," he whispered as he slipped the needle into Echo's neck. A weak squeak escaped his vocal processor as the shadows crept in till there was only darkness.

Echo was pulled from the darkness by the sound of muffled voices. Forcing his red optics online, he looked around and found that he was in some sort of infirmary. Wincing, he sat himself up and found that he was wrapped in a warm blanket and had an energon feed in his right arm. Straining his audios, he tried to hear what the mechs outside his door were saying.

"How is he Ratchet?" A deep voice asked.

"He's still in stasis," Ratchet replied in a tired tone. "If Jazz and Ironhide hadn't gotten him here when they did-" The CMO stopped mid sentence as his scanners picked up on Echo's weak signal through the door.

"I take it he's awake," the mech with the deep voice said knowingly. Echo panicked and laid back down pretending to still be in stasis.

The door hissed open and Ratchet strode into the room. Fixing his bright blue optics on the youngling he smirked when he found that he was pretending to still be asleep.

"I know you're awake," the medic said as he sat down beside Echo. The small youngling whimpered softly and curled up into an even smaller ball. Ratchet sighed and cast the red and blue mech in the doorway a tired look. A small smile tugged at the corner of the mech's mouth as he entered the room and kneeled so he could see Echo's face.

"Hello little one," Optimus said gently. Echo looked at the face in front of him and screamed. Not expecting such a loud reaction the leader of the Autobots fell back on his aft, optics wide with surprise that such a loud noise could come from someone so small. Taking advantage of both of the larger mech's confusion, Echo ripped the energon feed from his arm and bolted out the door.


	3. Ironhide

**Friend or Foe? III**

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe were just leaving the mess hall when a five foot tall blur wove between their legs. The red twin staggered and grabbed his yellow brother to keep form falling. This resulted in a tangle of the two mechs on the hall floor, accompanied by Sunstreaker's more colorful language.

Echo continued to run until he was deep within the base, and he was sure that no one was following him. Breathing heavily, the youngling leaned against the wall behind him, only to have it give out. Squeaking in surprise, Echo looked up and found that he was in someone's personal quarters. Red optics wide with curiosity, he examined the room closely.

The floor was littered with spare parts, for what he didn't know, and various tools. On the desk were various data pads that needed to be read and a few tools. Turning around Echo saw a headshot of the Megatron mounted on the wall with various darts sticking out of it. A small shiver shook Echo's frame as he quickly averted his eyes from the picture, but then he got an idea.

Ironhide groaned as he stretched his joints tiredly. He had just finished training with Kup and was exhausted. All he wanted to do was go back to his personal quarters and have some energon.

"Ironhide," Ratchet called from behind him. The black mech sighed and rubbed his optics tiredly as he turned to the medic.

"Ratchet I _just_ finished training with Kup and-" The weapons specialist didn't get to finish his thought before Ratchet cut him off.

"The youngling you and Jazz brought in is missing," the CMO said in a bit of panicky tone. This got the older mech's attention.

"Did you check the supplies closet?" He asked.

"And the mess hall and communications and the training rooms. We're down to personal quarters," the yellow mech said seriously. Ironhide pinched the bridge of his nose as he nodded in understanding.

"I'll check the back of the base," he said as he turned and headed in the direction of his room.

The door to the black mech's room opened with a soft hiss and Echo froze on the spot. Ironhide's sensors alerted him that someone, or something, was in his personal quarters the instant he door started to open. His optics came to rest on the small mech sitting in the middle of the floor with the picture of Megatron that had once been on his wall. Except now the visage of the Decepticon leader had several black scribbles on his face and a pair of horns similar to that of Unicorn. The two of them stared at the other for a few seconds.

Echo was the first to react. Jumping to his feet he made to sprint out the door but was grabbed expertly by a pair of large grey hands.

"Not so fast," Ironhide said as he held the squirming youngling in his strong hands. Echo responded by letting out a string of loud and vulgar squeaks and chirrups. Ironhide raised an optics ridge at the small Decepticon. He wasn't surprised that he knew such language. He _had _been raised by Decepticons.

"_I found your escapee Ratchet," _The black mech said through his com-link.

"_Thanks Primus,"_ the CMO sighed. _"Where are you?" _

"_My personal quarters," _was his short response before he cut off the connection. Looking back at the youngling in his grasp, he found that the little mech had worn himself out and was clicking softly. The old mech's gaze softened and he rested the youngling's head on his shoulder as he waited for the medic to arrive.

Ratchet entered the weapon specialist's quarters and found the black mech sitting on his recharge berth with the youngling sleeping in his arms. Smiling slightly he walked up to Ironhide and scanned the unconscious mech quickly.

Relieved that the small bundle of wires was unharmed, he started to take the small Transformer from Ironhide's arms. The response they got from the youngling was a distressed squeak as he unconsciously grabbed onto the black mech's chassis. Said mech's internal temperature rose in embarrassment.

Ratchet continued to try and move the youngling only to have his reactions worsen. Echo was on the verge of waking up and having a fit when Ironhide finally intervened.

"It's fine Ratchet. He can sleep with me for the night," the black mech said as Echo curled in closer to his spark. The medic cast an unsure glance at the sleeping youngling in the older mech's arms.

"I'll bring him by the bay tomorrow as soon as he wakes up," Ironhide said in a tone that clearly told the medic he was tired and did _not _want to be argued with. The yellow mech sighed and nodded as he turned and left the two of them alone to get a much needed recharge.

Once Ratchet was gone, Ironhide let out a tired sigh and lay down on his recharge berth. As he moved Echo so he was on top of his chest directly over his spark, the youngling onlined a deep red optic and let out a few tired clicks.

"Go back to sleep," the black mech soothed as he rubbed the back of the small mech's helm softly. Slowly, the mini Decepticon drifted back into stasis.

Ironhide looked at the small bundle of wires on his chassis for a few minutes. It had been so long since any of them had seen a youngling. It was a miracle that he had survived so long, even under the care of the Decepticons. _Who took care of you? _He wondered to himself. The black mech couldn't imagine _any_ Decepticon being capable of raising a youngling. They were killers. It was as simple as that.

Sighing again, Ironhide rested a hand on top of the youngling to keep him warm as he slept. The weapon specialist had taken care of Sunstreaker and Sideswipe when they were younglings, so he knew that they were particularly sensitive to the cold. Leaning his head back he off lined his optics and slowly fell into stasis.


	4. Med Bay

**Friend or Foe? IV**

Ironhide was woken the next morning by the feeling of something poking his face plate. A growl rumbled deep in his chest as he checked the time. It was barely six in the morning. Even for an old mech like him, that was entirely too early.

On lining a single blue optic he came face to face with a pair of deep red ones. Before the black mech could even say anything the small mech's tanks rumbled loudly. He couldn't help but let a small smile creep across his face when Echo grabbed his midsection as if to keep it quiet.

"I take it you're hungry," Ironhide said as he sat himself up. Standing up, he stretched his stiff joints out and reached down to the youngling sitting on his recharge berth.

Echo cringed slightly as the back mech's hands came towards him. This confused Ironhide as he picked him up and carried him in his arms. The small mech blinked his deep red optics several times. He didn't understand why he wasn't being hauled off by his scruff bar, considering that was all the other mechs had carried him by.

Ironhide carried Echo into the mess hall only to be greeted by the silver mech that was Jazz.

"Mornin' 'Hide," Jazz greeted with a big grin. Said mech simply nodded to the other in greeting, still not fully awake. Then the silver mech saw the small bundle of wires in Ironhide's arms.

"Is that-?"

"Yes it is Jazz," the black mech replied irritably as he made his way across the room to get the two of them some energon.

"C-Can I hold him?" The spy asked hesitantly. Sighing, Ironhide handed Echo to Jazz. The older mech was surprised that the youngling didn't scream in protest.

Echo looked up at the new person holding him and looked at the dark blue visor covering his optics with confusion. Noticing this, Jazz slid the piece back to reveal a pair of bright blue optics just like Ironhide's.

The Decepticon youngling hesitantly reached out and touched is face. Jazz thought his spark was going to melt. _This li'l guy's jus' too fragg'n cute, _he thought as a large grin spread across his face. This in turned caused a small smile to creep across Echo's face.

Ironhide pretended not to notice this as he reappeared with two energon cubes. Taking the youngling from Jazz's arms he sat down at one of the tables, handed a cube to Echo and sipped on his.

After a minute or so, the black mech looked down at the youngling to see that he was giving the cube a confused look. Ironhide felt his energon boil. _Those fraggers never gave him his own energon, _he thought angrily as he downed the rest of his cube.

"Go on," he said as he nudged the cube towards him with a finger. Echo hesitantly took the cube in his small hands and sipped on it slowly. He kept pausing and looking at the black mech in front of him, expecting him to snatch the cube away. Ironhide noticed this and every time he paused he motioned for him to keep drinking.

By the time six thirty rolled around Echo had finished his cube and more mechs were starting to wander into the mess hall. Almost every single one of them cast the youngling and the weapon specialist curious glances, but never said anything.

"Alright, time to take you to see Ratchet," Ironhide said as he picked Echo up and carried him out of the room.

The med bay door hissed open to reveal the yellowish colored medic patching up the resident scientist Wheeljack.

"I _swear _'Jack," Ratchet grumbled as he finished repairing his right hand. "One of these days I'm just not going to fix you." The white and grey mech's fins flashed a bright blue as he laughed good-naturedly.

"You always say that Ratchet," he said, a smile obvious from under his facemask. Ironhide cleared his throat to get their attention. Wheeljack's optics widened when he saw the youngling in the black mech's arms. Twitching slightly he was berated by the medic with a smack from upside the head.

"Ok you're done, now get out. _Try _not to blow off anymore limbs," the CMO said in an almost pleading tone.

"No guarantees," the scientist said lightheartedly as he left the bay. Ratchet sighed and rubbed his optics in frustration. Regaining his composure he turned to Ironhide and smiled down at Echo softly.

Echo remembered the yellow medic, but he was still hesitant to be around him. Sure he had been in the med bay at the Decepticon base on Cybertron lots of times. However, none of them had been a pleasant experience. Clinging to Ironhide's chassis he refused to let he medic pick him up.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Ratchet said in an uncharacteristically gentle tone. "I just want to make sure that you are functioning properly." A pair of deep red optics met the medic's bright blue ones hesitantly. The medic tried again and was able to take the youngling from Ironhide's burly arms.

Sitting Echo on one of the examination tables, the youngling craned his neck to see if the black mech was still there. His crimson optics widened considerably when he found that said mech was gone. Panicking he glanced nervously around the room, as if looking for some sort of escape rout.

Ratchet's sensitive scanner picked up on the youngling's distress and was confused until he realized that Ironhide was gone. _Is he really that scared to be alone? _The CMO thought as Echo was on the verge of throwing a panicky tantrum.

At that very instant the doors hissed open and the silver form of Jazz walked in. Ratchet was just about to tell him to leave when Echo let out a panicky chirrup and reached out to him. Jazz smiled at the youngling and picked him up.

"'Ey buddy," he said as Echo wrapped his small arms around his neck tightly.

"_Wha's up with him?"_ Jazz asked the medic through their personal line.

"_When Ironhide left him with me, he started to go in the fritz," _Ratchet sighed. _"Would you mind staying here while I examine him?"_

"_No prob,"_ the saboteur said with a smile.

The silver mech sat down on the examination table with Echo in his lap as Ratchet ran several scans on him. Jazz smiled down at the small mech and tickled the wires in the back of his neck. Letting out a string of happy clicks he played with one of his clawed hands, comparing it to his own.

"_See if you can get him to talk," _Ratchet said as he recorded Echo's stats onto a data pad.

"'Ey li'l buddy, can ya tell me wha' your name is?" Jazz asked looking down at the small bundle of wires in his lap. Said youngling paused as if in thought.

"E-E-Echo," he said in a soft voice.


	5. Paints

**Friend or Foe? V**

"Echo?" Jazz repeated, making sure that he heard him right. The youngling in his lap nodded in reply.

"Well Echo it's nice to meet ya," the silver mech said as a large smile spread across his face. Echo smile and was just about to reply when the doors to the bay hissed open and Smokescreen strode in.

The Autobot psychologist smiled at Jazz warmly then made his way over to Ratchet. Resting a hand on the medic's shoulder as he typed he opened a personal line between the two of them.

"_So he is the youngling you spoke to me about?" _This was more of a statement then a question coming from the standing mech.

"_Yes and, if what he told Jazz is true, his name is Echo," _the CMO replied as he saved the youngling's data onto the computer. Smokescreen looked back at the youngling that was sitting in Jazz's lap and let a small smile creep across his face.

"_It is truly a gift from Primus that he is alive," _Smokescreen said mostly to himself. Ratchet couldn't help but nod in agreement as he watched the red and blue mech approach the two on the examination table.

"Hello little one," Smokescreen said kneeling in front of Echo. Said youngling observed the new mech warily as he clung to Jazz's hand like a lifeline.

"My name is Smokescreen," he said with a smile. "What's your name?" He knew the youngling's name but he wanted to see if he could get Echo to talk to him, even just the littlest bit.

"E-Echo," the small mech replied softly as he continued to cling to Jazz's side.

"Echo, that's a lovely name," Smokescreen said smiling warmly. A faint smile tugged at the corner of Echo's mouth at the new mech's compliment of his name.

"Who gave you such a fitting name?" The psychologist asked, not quite sure how much information the youngling was willing to give out. Echo hesitated, not sure if this new mech could be trusted with such personal information. Jazz sensed the youngling's unease and decided to speak up.

"'Ey you like to draw?" The silver mech asked looking down at the bundle of wires in his lap. Echo's crimson optics widened as he nodded vigorously. A low laugh rumbled Jazz's chest at the response he got.

"Well le's see if we can get ya some of Sunstreaker's paint to work with," he said as he made his way out the med bay doors.

"You can go ahead and take him to the mess hall, I'll see if Sunstreaker will be willing to part with his paints for a few breems," Smokescreen said, very well aware of what Jazz was planning.

About fifteen minutes later Echo's hands were covered in a multitude of different colored paints, and he couldn't have been happier. Smokescreen wasn't far away and was watching the youngling carefully, analyzing every move he made. Jazz smiled as he watched the youngling mix colors together and create nothing short of a mess. He then notice a sheet that had several mech shaped blobs on it.

"Who're these guys?" He asked as he picked the picture up and held it in front of the paint covered youngling.

"You," he said pointing to the smaller grey one, then to the slightly taller and wider one. "And 'Hide." He failed to mention who the third one was. Both Jazz and Smokescreen noticed this. The silver mech hesitated to pry, but Smokescreen encouraged him through their personal line.

"I don' recognize this guy," Jazz said in a confused tone mostly to himself. Echo looked up and saw him looking at the light blue paint smear.

"Thundercracker," he said softly as he went back to work on his recent picture. Jazz cast a glance at Smokescreen, only to find the red and blue mech's attention was focused solely on the picture Echo was working on. Jazz looked at the sheet of metal and felt the energon his systems freeze.

The sheet of metal was covered almost completely in black, grey and dark red paint. It wasn't the dark colors that bothered him, but the form that the colors took. It was a shape _very _similar to that of Optimus Prime. Jazz knew better though. It was Nemesis Prime.

Echo slowed his work on the picture and suddenly felt very scared. A small shiver shook through his frame as he turned and clung to Jazz's arm in a frightened manner.

"I think tha's enough paint'n fo' today," the silver mech said as he picked the trembling youngling up. Echo chirped in agreement and held onto the saboteur's neck tightly.

"_I'll take care of this," _Smokescreen said through their personal line. _"You go ahead and get Echo cleaned up." _ Jazz nodded in understanding and made his way to the back of the base where the washracks were.


	6. Mess Hall

**Friend or Foe? VI**

Once the two of them were in the washracks Jazz tried to remove Echo from his neck, but the youngling simply whimpered and tightened his hold on the silver mech.

"Scared," he said almost inaudibly. Jazz stroked the back of Echo's helm soothingly.

"'Ey its a'ight," the saboteur said calmly. Echo's deep red optics met Jazz's bright blue ones and just as he was about to say something, the door hissed open. Said youngling flinched noticeably and tightened his hold on Jazz's neck. He only loosened his grip when he saw that it was Ironhide.

The black weapons specialist saw the youngling in Jazz's arms and nodded to the two of them in greeting. Echo chirruped happily and reached out to the larger mech with paint covered hands. Jazz checked the time and cursed under his breath.

"'Hide I gotta go, 'm almost three breems late fo' my shift," he said as he handed the youngling to the large black mech. "I'll see ya later Echo." Then he was gone.

Ironhide sighed and looked at the paint covered bundle of wires in his arms. The small mech looked up at him with his deep red optics with nothing short of adoration.

"Echo is it?" He asked the mini Decepticon in his arms. The response he got was a short nod.

"Well Echo, let's get you cleaned up," with that said he turned on the showerhead and then sat Echo on the floor by his feet.

Ironhide grabbed a bottle of cleaning solution from the shelf, and squeezed a good amount into one of his hands. He then kneeled in front of Echo and, with amazing gentleness, massaged the cleaner into his joints and any other places dirt could have gathered.

Once the black mech was sure that he had gotten every last bit of paint and dirt off Echo, he rinsed him off and wrapped him in a towel. Echo chirruped happily as Ironhide dried him off and grabbed one of his large grey fingers with both of his small dark grey hands. It seemed to be only then that the small mech realized just _how _small he was compared to the hulking black form of Ironhide.

The weapons specialist seemed to notice this and decided that it was best that he distracted him form such thoughts. The last thing he wanted was for him to be afraid of one of the two mechs he seemed to trust. Picking Echo up, he rested his head on his shoulder and made his way to the mess hall to get the two of them some energon before he put him to bed.

Elsewhere, Optimus Prime sat behind the desk in his office with Ratchet sitting in front of him.

"I trust that you have had the opportunity to examine the youngling?" The red and blue mech said as he looked at the CMO.

"I have," the yellow mech said as he pulled out several data pads that had Echo's information recorded on them and handed them to the Prime. Optimus scanned them as the yellow mech spoke.

"The youngling's name is Echo and, according to my scans, he is severally underdeveloped for a youngling his age," Ratchet said a hint of anger apparent in his tone.

"How old is he?" The red and blue mech asked, not looking up from the youngling's stats.

"About ten vorns," the medic replied as he rubbed his bright blue optics tiredly. Optimus's head shot up when Ratchet said that, optics wide with disbelief. He then remembered the condition he had been in when Jazz and Ironhide found him.

"Do you have any idea who injured him?" Anger was apparent in the Autobot leader's voice as he looked at the injury list from when he was brought in.

"Unfortunately no," Ratchet sighed. "However I can safely say that whoever it was was definitely not one of our own. No Autobot soldier in our ranks would attack and nearly kill a youngling." Optimus nodded in agreement as he sat the data pad on his desk.

"You think it was another Decepticon then?" He asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"I would say so," the CMO answered flatly. "We all know how spark-less Decepticons can be, even to their own." Just as Optimus was about to say something someone knocked on his door. He gave Ratchet an apologetic look as he permitted the knocker to enter. It was Smokescreen, and in his hands were two sheets of painted on scrap metal.

The psychologist was just about to speak until he saw the CMO sitting in one of the chairs in front of Optimus.

"I can wait if the two of you are not finished," Smokescreen said as he motioned to the door. Ratchet looked at the crude paintings on the sheets and saw several shapes on them.

"Did Echo paint those?" The medic asked, his gaze not moving from the scraps of metal.

"Yes he did," Smokescreen said as he took a seat in front of Optimus. "It was actually Jazz's idea to use painting as an outlet. As you can see he has taken a strong liking to him and Ironhide." As he said that he showed both of the other mech's Echo's first painting.

"Who's the third mech?" Optimus asked taking the sheet from Smokescreen to examine it closer.

"It's Thundercracker," the smaller red and blue mech replied. Both Ratchet and Optimus were surprised at this new bit of information.

"I believe that Thundercracker was Echo's main caretaker, if not his only one," Smokescreen said to Ratchet and Optimus.

"I guess that means we can rule out Thundercracker as his attacker," the leader of the Autobots sighed as he handed the painting to the yellow medic.

"I believe this can answer your question," the psychologist said as he handed Prime the second painting.

Optimus looked Smokescreen with a slightly confused expression as he took the sheet of metal. However, after a few seconds of examining the crude painting he felt the energon in his lines boil.

"Nemesis," he growled as his optics narrowed into bright blue slits of fury.

"That would explain Echo's reaction to you earlier," Ratchet said as he looked in the direction of his leader.

"Where is he now?" Optimus asked Smokescreen.

"The last time I saw Echo, Jazz was taking him to the washracks to clean him off," was his smooth response.

The black weapons specialist strode into the mess hall and found, to his relief, very few mechs were there. In the far corner of the room in front of the TV were the twins Sunstreaker and Sideswipe playing a videogame and Wheeljack and Bumblebee were having some energon at a table nearby.

The one known as Wheeljack was the first to see Ironhide when he entered the room and motioned for him to sit. The weapons specialist hesitated slightly but decided that Echo was going to have to get used to being around more then one mech at a time, so he approached his comrades.

It was only when Ironhide got closer that the other two mechs saw the small bundle of wires in his burly arms. Echo glanced up to see where his guardian was taking him and saw the two mechs sitting at the table. He recognized the white and grey one from the med bay but the yellow one made him wary, not recognizing him from anywhere.

"Who's the cute bundle of wires?" Bumblebee asked a smile obvious in his tone. Echo braved a glance up at the yellow mech only to have his crimson optics met by a pair of cheerful blue ones.

At that very instant Ratchet strode into the mess hall for a bit of energon. The CMO saw Ironhide sitting with Bumblebee and Wheeljack with the youngling sitting in his lap. The medic let a small smile creep across his face as he watched Echo sip on his energon cube, completely content with the old warrior looking over him.

If what Smokescreen had told him and Optimus was true, Echo had very little contact with other mechs when on Cybertron. Because of this the youngling shied away from contact unless it was from someone that he felt could be trusted, or it was completely necessary.

So far, the only mechs on the base that had had the privilege of touching the youngling were: Jazz, Ironhide and himself. However, Echo had only permitted him to touch him because he was trying to fix him, and even then he had to be sedated in the end.

Jazz had been the first to come in contact with the youngling, being as he was the one that came sprinting back into the base with the small bundle of wires in his arms. Ratchet couldn't help but chuckle softly at the memory as he sat down at a table not far from where said youngling was. The silver mech had been in nothing short of a state of panic when he ran into the medic with the tiny mech in his arms.

In all honesty the CMO understood why Echo was so drawn to him. Jazz was a very charismatic, fun loving and kind mech. He was everything that Echo could use in a caretaker. What intrigued him most was the fact that the bond between Jazz and Echo was instantaneous, and that was without him knowing that the silver mech had been his rescuer.

The medic was pulled from his thoughts by a panicky chirrup. Turning his attention back to the youngling found that he had accidentally tipped his cube over and knocked all of the energon onto the black mech's thigh. The poor youngling looked up at the black mech with his red optics filled with fear. Ratchet had a good idea of what a Decepticon would have done to Echo in this situation. Ironhide simply sighed and pulled a rag from his subspace and cleaned off his leg.

This event caused the yellow medic to think about Echo and Ironhide's ironic relationship. The black mech was by far one of the Autobot army's most fierce and talented warriors, and yet here he was caring for a neglected, if not abused, youngling. Ironhide may have acted all tough on the outside, but Ratchet knew better. The old mech was really a softie under his thousands, if not millions, of vorns of fighting.

One thing that concerned the medic about Ironhide watching over Echo was the fact that, and he was already doing it, he was distancing himself from the youngling. Weather he was doing consciously or not he didn't know, but he needed to inform Smokescreen of his concerns. Ratchet didn't want to admit it, bit the only reason he could Ironhide was doing this was because Echo was a Decepticon. Perhaps in the older mech's optics he found that it was only a matter of time before he realized that and turned on them and figured that it was best to not get attached to the youngling.

Ratchet sighed and sipped on his cube as he watched Echo, who had been moved from Ironhide's lap to the top of the table, sit with the three older mechs. Echo moved so he was between the weapons specialist and inventor and looked at the hand that he had seen Ratchet working on. 'Jacks noticed this and unfolded his hand so the youngling could look at it.

"_Primus Ratchet he's so fragging cute,"_ Wheeljack gushed through their personal line. This caused the medic to smile at his longtime friend.

"_I'm sure you're not the only one that thinks that," _he replied taking another sip of his cube.

Everything was perfectly fine until Red Alert walked into the mess hall and saw the mini Decepticon sitting on the table with Wheeljack, Bumblebee and Ironhide. Then everything went straight to the Pit.

A/N: ok I don't know _how _Cybertronians age so I kinda made Echo's age up (he's 10 vorns old and vorn is approx 83 earth years so Echo's about 830 years old), he's supposed to be the human equivalent of a five year old


	7. Decepticon?

Friend or Foe

**Friend or Foe? VII**

"DECEPTICON SPY!" The paranoid assistant medic yelled as he pointed at Echo accusingly. Every head in the mess hall shot up when they heard that, even Echo's. Said youngling may have been very young, but that didn't mean that he didn't understand what the red mech was talking about. Echo's lower lip quivered and his entire frame started to shake slightly.

Ratchet's scanner picked up on Echo's distress and was angered to see that Ironhide made no attempt to comfort the youngling or to yell at Red Alert. The CMO got to his feet and immediately confronted his apprentice, yelling at him in Cybertronian.

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe didn't even know that a youngling was on the base and were, well Sideswipe was, almost instantaneously in front of the small mech. The red twin meant well he really did, but he didn't know much about younglings, especially ones that were afraid of almost everyone they came across.

It was only when the Red Terror reached out to pick Echo up that the black weapons specialist seemed to realize just what was going on in the room.

"Sideswipe I wouldn't-" Unfortunately, his reaction was too little too late. Echo saw the new mech's hands coming towards him and he panicked.

"_**AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!" **_Echo curled up into a defensive ball and let loose an audio sensor shattering scream. Every mech in the room, and the nearby halls, had to stop what they were doing and cover their audios to keep them from overloading.

After half a breem of screaming Echo's vocal processor was reaching its max and his throat was starting to burn. However, what he really wanted to know was why the strong black mech or the nice silver one weren't comforting him. _They hate me, they all hate me, _Echo thought to himself as he continued to scream.

Not even half a second later the mini Decepticon felt a warm hand touch his curled up frame. Whimpering, he pulled away and curled in on himself even more.

"Shhhhh," a new voice soothed as one of the hands rubbed his lower back calmly. Echo didn't know who this new mech was and at this point he didn't care, he just wanted to be held. Hiccupping softly, he let the stranger pick him up and hold him in his arms. A familiar gravelly voice spoke to whoever was holding him in Cybertronian but the new mech simply said something short in reply and turned and left.

It was only when the two of them were out in the hall that Echo realized how warm the mech carrying him was. Letting out a few tired clicks, he onlined his crimson optics and found that he was nestled safely in a pair of large red and blue arms. Echo looked up lazily only to come face to face with none other then Optimus Prime.

Echo's bright red optics widened in horror when he realized just who was holding him. The Autobot leader felt the youngling in his state to panic and wracked his processor to think of a way to calm him down. He feared that if Echo screamed again he would injure himself, and that was the last thing he wanted.

Lifting Echo up he rested the youngling's head on one of his broad shoulders and stroked the back of his helm gently.

"Shhhhh," the red and blue mech soothed as he continued to rub the youngling's helm. "I'm not going to hurt you." Echo hiccupped softly and braved a look up at the large mech holding him. Red optics met blue and he was surprised to see a warm smile on the Autobot leader's face.

Just as Echo was about to say something Jazz appeared from around the corner at the end of the hall. Echo saw the silver mech and let out a string of happy clicks and chirrups as he reached for him. Jazz's face brightened when he saw the bundle of wires in Optimus's arms and picked him up.

"'Ey li'l guy," the silver mech said as Echo wrapped his arms around his neck and clung to him tightly. The saboteur looked at Optimus slightly confused. The red and blue mech sighed and motioned for Jazz to follow him to his office.

A few minutes later the three of them entered Optimus's office, along with Ironhide. Jazz gave the old black mech a confused look, then turned back to the red and blue mech.

"Wha' happened?" The saboteur asked.

Elsewhere, two pods crashed deep in the woods of Southern California. The larger of the two unfolded and stood up.

"What a disgusting planet," it growled in a low voice as it looked over its shoulder, only to see the other pod unfolding. "Wouldn't you agree Thundercracker?"

"Well at least it isn't The Planet of Junk," the smaller replied looking around. Before either of the two new mechs could say anything, their audios picked up on the low rumble of an engine. The sound was followed by the scraping of metal and gears as the black and white form of Barricade emerged from between the trees.

"What the frag are you two slag heads doing on this Primus forsaken planet?" he growled as he folded his arms across his chest. Skywarp snorted slightly at the smaller mech's comment.

"Don't be too happy to see us," he said sarcastically. "We're _here_ because Nemesis decided to…_have fun _with a certain youngling."

The black and white mech's optics widened in shock upon hearing this new information. All of the Decepticon's knew about the youngling known as Echo and that Megatron had specifically said not to harm him, well not severely anyways.

"How the _frag _did he get here?" He asked but he quickly cut them off before they could answer. "Never mind, just scan something so we can get the frag out of here."

"_You did wha'?!" _Jazz yelled at Ironhide in Cybertronian. Echo's head shot up when he heard the silver mech that had been holding him raise his voice. Since he hadn't been around a lot of older mechs, he didn't understand much Cybertronian but it was obvious that the one known as Jazz was not happy about something.

"_Jazz, please calm down," _Optimus said as he rubbed his optics tiredly.

"_Calm down? You want me fraggn' clam down?!" _He yelled. _"'Hide pretty much jus' demonstrated that he doesn't care 'bout Echo and you want me to calm the frag down?!" _The smaller mech was on his feet now, having sat Echo on the edge of Optimus's desk, and was on the verge of hurling himself at the black mech with rage.

"_He's a Decepticon,"_ the weapons specialist said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"_HE'S A FRAGGN' YOUNGLING!" _Jazz all but screamed as he slammed a fist into the wall beside him, leaving a dent in its wake.

"_JAZZ!" _Optimus said as he narrowed his bright blue optics warningly. It may not have showed, but Jazz had quite a temper if it got the better of him.

"_He's still a Decepticon," _Ironhide growled as he glared at Jazz.

"D…D-Decp…ticon?" Echo stammered out. The three older mechs in the room looked down at him with wide blue optics.

Echo looked at Jazz then to Ironhide and lastly Optimus. It was only then that he noticed the red emblem on the red and blue mech's chassis. Reaching into his subspace, he pulled out a small purple Decepticon emblem. He looked at the small item in his hands and then looked at the one on Optimus's chest.

Realizing that they weren't the same his crimson optics widened and up at Ironhide. Looking into the youngling's optics he winced inwardly when he saw fear shining deep in them. Fear. He was afraid of him.

"Echo…I-" the black mech was cut off by Echo dropping the emblem and sprinting out the door as fast as his little legs could carry him.


	8. Runaway

Friend or Foe

**Friend or Foe? VIII**

Echo ran and ran until his legs couldn't carry him any further. Without looking he ran into the first room he came across, and straight into a pair of legs. Falling back onto his skid plate, the youngling looked up only to come face to face with Ratchet.

"Echo?" The CMO said looking down at the youngling by his feet. "What are you doing here?" As he said this he reached down to pick the small mech up. Before he could even touch the small mech, Echo had jumped to his feet and sprinted out the door.

"Echo!" The yellow medic shouted as he ran after him. He had just stepped into the hallway when he was confronted by Jazz.

"Did Echo come by 'ere?" He asked in a hurried tone.

"He just ran out, what happened?" Ratchet asked furrowing his optic ridges at the silver mech.

"Echo jus' found out that he's…_different _from us," the saboteur said with a hint of sadness. "The fact that 'Hide jus' showed tha' he doesn't care 'bout 'em doesn't help either." Ratchet narrowed his optics angrily. _So I was right, _he thought bitterly.

Elsewhere, Echo turned a corner in the Autobot base and found himself in the main entryway of the base. His spark leapt when he saw that the hatch was open. Sprinting across the room he quickly found himself outside in the bright sunlight.

After running a good mile or so, the youngling decided to stop and rest. Sitting under a large tree, he finally got to look around. Echo hardly knew anything about other planets, more or less about anything organic. However, despite his young age, he sensed that almost everything around him was alive. Too tired to ponder such complex thoughts, he yawned, curled up into a small ball and slipped into recharge.

Meanwhile, at the bottom of the ocean, Megatron was on the verge of beating the slag out of the two Seekers in front of him. The Decepticon leader clenched his fists at his sides and glared at the two jets.

"And just _how _did he get here?" he asked in a deathly calm voice. The two of them cast unsure glances at each other.

"We don't know, sir," Thundercracker replied respectively as he cast his red optics to the floor in front of him. The response get got was a hard punch to the left side of his face plate, denting it badly. He was then picked up by his throat and slammed against a wall. Coughing energon from his wheezing intakes, the blue jet winced as Megatron tightened his hold on his neck. Just as the Seeker was about to blackout, the main computer beeped loudly and a map of some nearby woods appeared on the screen, accompanied by a small purple dot.

"It seems that you might have the chance to redeem yourself after all," the giant silver mech growled as he threw Thundercracker to the ground with ease.

"Soundwave, go with Thundercracker and make sure he doesn't screw up," he ordered as he typed several commands onto the computer.

"As you command Lord Megatron," the dark blue mech said in his usual monotone voice. With that said, both of the mechs left he base to retrieve Echo.

Echo was pulled from his peaceful recharge by the low rumbling noise. On lining his deep red optics he found that they sky was no longer a cheerful blue, but a deep grey. Then it started to rain. The temperature dropped and the wind picked up considerably. Echo shivered and wrapped his arms around himself to try and stay warm. The young ling was so focused on trying to stay warm that he failed to sense the approaching mech.

"Cold?" A voice asked. Echo's head jerked up and his red optics met another pair of red ones. The small mech squealed in happiness and threw himself at Thundercracker. The Seeker smiled and lifted the small youngling into his arms, keeping him warm and shielding him from the cold rain.

"Mission: Successful. Return to base," Soundwave said appearing out of the woods as well. Just as the three were preparing to leave, Thundercracker was shot in the back.

Staggering forward he shielded Echo the best he could from the gun fire surrounding them. Soundwave ejected all of his casseticons and had already engaged in combat with Sunstreaker and Sideswipe. Just as the jet was about to take off, he was hit in the back once more, knocking Echo from his protective grip.

"ECHO!" He yelled. Said youngling screamed as he flew through the air of the rain soaked battlefield.

"I got ya!" Jazz yelled as he dove and caught the small bundle of wires before he could hit the ground. Jumping to his feet he started sprinting back to the base.

"TC! **TC!**" Echo screamed as he reached back towards his caretaker. When Jazz didn't stop running, he got angry. There was no way he was going to be separated from Thundercracker again.

"**AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!**" Echo screamed so loud that Jazz actually dropped him and had to cover his audios. As soon as he hit the ground, he took off running back in the direction of the battle.

"Echo!" Jazz yelled once his audios stopped ringing. He turned and chased after him but he was already gone.

The knee high youngling sprinted into the middle of the skirmish looking for the familiar blue mech. Apparently the scuffle had turned into an all out battle when he was gone, both Optimus and Megatron were there. His red optics found Thundercracker pinned to the ground by a _very_ angry looking Ironhide. Without thinking, Echo sprinted across the clearing.

He was almost there when he was snatched up by a pair of rough hands. Letting out an angry squeak he whipped his head around only to come face to face with the leader of the Decepticons himself.

Thundercracker's spark clenched when he saw Megatron pick Echo up. The blue Seeker knew what the Decepticon lord wanted to mold the small mech into and there was no way in _Pit _that he was going to let him do that.

"Hello little one," the giant silver mech said in a sickeningly sweet voice.

"_Echo, plan B," _the Seeker said through their com-link. Echo understood and the small blade snapped from his wrist. Before anyone knew what happened, Megatron was howling in pain and clutching his shattered right optic, dropping Echo in the process.

"This isn't over yet Prime," the half blind mech roared as he ordered a retreat.

Echo was on his feet in an instant and running over to his slowly standing caretaker. Thundercracker couldn't help but let a small smile spread across his face when Echo hugged his leg tightly.

"Hey Echo," he said as he rubbed his helm slightly. However, his smile quickly faded when he saw the dried energon on the little mech's arm.

"Listen," he said as he kneeled in front of the youngling. "You can't come with me."

"W-Why not?!" Echo stammered as a look of fear spread across his young face.

"It's not safe, you're much safer with them," he said casting a glance at the Autobots not more then twenty feet away.

"NO!" Echo yelled in protest as he clung to Thundercracker's arm with surprising strength. The jet sighed, leaned his head back and stared at the angry clouds overhead. _I guess I have no choice then, _he thought as he reached up to his left wing. Bracing himself the best he could, he ripped off his Decepticon emblem.


	9. Roommate

Friend or Foe

**Friend or Foe? IX**

"Do you have room for one more mech?" The Seeker asked as he picked up Echo and held him close to his spark for warmth. The Autobots stood there stunned. None of them had expected such a turn of events. Optimus was the first to react to Thundercracker's question.

"I am sure we can find you a room to stay in," the red and blue mech said, a smile in his voice. The jet nodded in appreciation as Ratchet stepped forward to tend to his injuries.

"_Optimus you can't be serious," _Ironhide said through their personal line. _"He's a 'Con."_ Optimus had expected such a reaction form the weapons specialist. Sighing he turned and started to walk back to the base, Ironhide beside him.

"_He is a neutral now, he has no side in this war," _the taller mech replied. _"Thundercracker is putting his very life at stake to stay with Echo. Can you think of any Decepticon that would willingly go such a thing?"_ Ironhide's silence was all he needed.

"_I still don't trust him," _the black mech growled defensively.

"_And I don't expect you to, but I _do _expect you to treat him civilly," _Optimus said sternly, turning to glance at his long time friend. _"Besides, you should be grateful that Thundercracker is going to be with us. You don't have to be around Echo anymore." _That last sentence was said with such bitterness that Ironhide actually flinched when the Autobot leader said it. The two of them walked in silence the rest of the way back.

Once everyone was back on base, Ratchet had to almost drag Thundercracker into the med bay to finish repairing his wounds. Once the Seeker was seated on a table, he got a chance to look down at the bundle of wires in his arms. Echo was curled up into a small ball and was in a light recharge. A small smile flitted across the former Decepticon's face as he looked down at his charge. This didn't go unnoticed by Ratchet.

"Did you raise him all by yourself?" The CMO asked as he picked up a welder and started to close some of the cuts on his back. Thundercracker nodded in reply.

"Well you did a Pit of a job," the yellow mech said. "He's extremely clever and is obviously capable of defending himself, to a degree." The blue mech snorted slightly.

"Yah well he had had to learn fast to survive on our base," he muttered mostly to himself. "I couldn't be with him all the time, so I had to leave him with Shockwave on the rare occasion." Ratchet's optics widened considerably. Thundercracker sensed the medic's disapproval.

"Hey it was either him or Hook," he said in his defense.

"The lesser of two evils," the Hummer said as he smoothed out the weld marks. Ratchet sighed and sat the welder down as he picked up a data pad and recorded his first patient's injuries. At that moment the bay doors hissed open and Jazz walked in.

"What is it Jazz?" He asked, not looking up from the pad.

"I think I got a blown audio," he said rubbing the side of his helm where said audio was. "Everyth'n sounds weird." When the saboteur said that, Thundercracker couldn't help but let a small chuckle rumble deep in his chest. Ratchet cast the jet an angry look.

"Don't worry, its not blown," Thundercracker said as he got to his feet, still cradling Echo in his protective arms. "You just found out one of the reasons why I named him 'echo'."

"You named 'im?" Jazz said in surprise as he took a set on one of the tables. The jet nodded in confirmation.

"When we first found him, he had no name or faction. So we gave him the first," he said taking a seat on a crate across from Jazz as Ratchet repaired some minor damages from the battle.

"Wait," the medic said upon hearing this. "Echo is still a neutral?" The Seeker nodded.

"He's too young to wear a faction symbol. Frag he's not even in his second armor yet. The only reason Megatron wanted to keep him was so he could wipe his chips and make him a 'perfect soldier'. Like Pit I was gonna let that happen," he said as he narrowed his blood red optics angrily. No sooner had he said that the med bay doors hissed open and Optimus walked in.

The red and blue mech nodded to Jazz and Ratchet in greeting and smiled at Thundercracker. The jet knew that the Autobot leader wouldn't harm him or Echo, but he still couldn't help but be wary of the large mech. Optimus noticed this but understood the smaller mech's feelings.

"Would you mind bunking with another mech until we are able to clear a room for you?" Prime asked. Before Thundercracker could say anything the small bundle of wires in his arms stirred slightly.

Echo onlined his red optics and chirped happily when he saw his caretaker looking down at him. He squirmed in the jet's arms until the Seeker gave in and sat him in his lap. Upon doing this, Echo saw Jazz and let out an excited squeal. Jumping from Thundercracker's lap, the five foot tall mech ran across the room and hugged the saboteur's foot.

Jazz laughed and lifted his foot with the youngling still on it and picked him up. The little grey mech clicked happily and played with the silver Autobot's hands. Every mech in the room had a smile on their face. Echo didn't know it, but he had the amazing ability to make tension dissipate.

"I guess Echo chose my roommate for me," the Seeker said laughing slightly.

Once Ratchet was finished repairing Jazz, a second berth was moved into his room. Thundercracker was surprised how spacious their personal quarters were. His room had been half the size of Jazz's and he had shared his with Skywarp and Echo, then again Echo hardly took up any space.

"I really appreciate this Jazz," Thundercracker said once they finished rearranging the room.

"'Ey don' mention it," he said with a smile as he waved a clawed hand dismissively. "'Sides, I dunno any mech tha' can deny tha' face."

It was in the wee hours of the morning when Thundercracker was awakened by a certain youngling poking his arm. Sighing he checked the time. _It's not even two yet, _he moaned inwardly as he rubbed his optics tiredly. Rolling onto his side, he looked at Echo groggily.

"What is it Echo?" He asked, making sure to keep his voice low as to not wake Jazz. Said youngling simply took his guardian's large hand and placed it on his face. The jet's crimson optics widened considerably and ran a quick scan on the small bundle of wires. Sure enough, Echo was sick.


End file.
